Tag Archives: Rwanda

African nations overall don’t rank well in the new World Happiness Report, but there are a few surprises – and, of course, it likely depends on how happiness is defined. The annual report released Wednesday in Rome evaluates happiness on the basis of pooled results from Gallup World Poll surveys…

At least 16 people were killed in Rwanda on Saturday when lightning struck a church in Gihemvu, in the southern Nyaruguru district of the small, landlocked Central African nation. Worshippers at the Seventh Day Adventist church were gathered for services when the lightning hit the church, injuring an additional 140…

As leaders gathered in Addis Ababa in the runup to Sunday’s official opening of the African Union (AU) summit, news came that United States President Donald Trump has sent a letter to AU member nations affirming his respect for Africans and promising an extended U.S. diplomatic visit in March. The…

The Government of Rwanda, under scrutiny for its position on accepting relocated African migrants, has issued a statement on clarifying its position and denying it has any arrangement with Israel. “In reference to the rumors that have been recently spread in the media, the Government of Rwanda wishes to inform…

Rwandan authorities say they’re committing USD$180 million to an expansion of the Volcanoes National Park, a habitat for critically endangered mountain gorillas originally established in 1925. The government will add another 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) to the parkland, Kigali Today reports. The funding will help to compensate residents who live…

China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs plans official visits to four African nations beginning Friday, in keeping with the decades-long tradition of choosing destinations on the continent for the first trip abroad. Wang Yi will visit Angola, Gabon, Rwanda, and São Tomé and Príncipe during his trip, which “speaks volumes about…

The value of copper and other recoverable materials in the e-waste generated around the world in 2016 was an estimated USD$55 billion, according to the new Global E-Waste Monitor 2017 report. That’s more than the GDP of most countries in the world, the authors said. Yet most of the 44.7 million…

For the second time in 48 hours, a moderate earthquake struck Saturday evening near Lake Kivu in central Africa. The 5.1-magnitude earthquake happened at 7:20 p.m. local time in the Kabare region of Democratic Republic of Congo, about 23 kilometers to the southwest of the lakeside city of Bukavu. The United…

Israeli authorities seeking to expel up to 40,000 migrants have cut a deal with Rwanda, reportedly paying USD$5,000 to Paul Kagame’s government for every deported African asylum seeker the country accepts. The plan, introduced last week by Israel’s Interior Minister Aryeh Deri and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, was approved…

The Human Rights Watch organization strongly refutes Rwanda’s claim that it falsified an HRW report on government repression, and says the countering allegations in Rwanda’s own report are “largely fabricated” and misrepresented the NGO’s work. “The allegations by the National Commission for Human Rights show that Rwandan authorities are unwilling…

The Hilton hotel chain has announced a $50 million investment to expand and upgrade some 100 hotels across sub-Saharan Africa over the next five years, beginning with two DoubleTree-branded properties in Nairobi, Kenya, and Kigali, Rwanda. The Hilton African Growth Initiative seeks to build on the 19 existing properties in…

Rwanda has been arresting and threatening political opponents since President Paul Kagame was re-elected in August, in a repressive response detailed on Friday by the Human Rights Watch organization. “The Rwandan government’s crackdown shows that it is unwilling to tolerate criticism or accept a role for opposition parties, and it…

A moderate earthquake struck Friday evening in the Lake Kivu region of central Africa. The 5.0-magnitude earthquake happened at 7:45 p.m. local time in the Kabare region of Democratic Republic of Congo, about 23 kilometers to the southwest of the lakeside city of Bukavu. The United States Geological Survey said…

Police in Rwanda have confirmed the arrest of former presidential aspirant Diane Shima Rwigara, and say Rwigara and two family members were taken to the Criminal Investigation Department for questioning on Monday. The Rwandan National Police say warrants for Rwigara, as well as Anne and Adeline Rwigara, were applied after they…

Where is Diane Shima Rwigara? Authorities in Rwanda deny that the opposition political figure who sought to run against newly elected President Paul Kagame is detained, but multiple accounts from witnesses and family members in recent days dispute their claims. Now the humanitarian organization People Salvation Movement, founded by Rwigara…

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